The Under
The Under is the massive cave system that runs beneath Vestella. Most towns have an entrance to the Under, and there are dozens of other entrances spread throughout the kingdom. Each entrance is blocked by a ten-foot-thick stone slab. A gith stands guard on either side of the slab at all times. Gith communicate with each other telepathically, so one will only let you pass if both agree to let you pass. This means you cannot fight, bribe, or lie your way into or out of the Under. The Under is a more dangerous place than the surface. Its countless branching nooks and crannies hide untold horrors and treasures alike. Many from the surface find themselves overwhelmed upon entering the Under, and end up lost and forgotten. The power of the Ten Mothers is drowned out at a certain depth, and the Under is well beyond that point. This means those who derive their powers from their deities are greatly depleted when below. Most living in the Under view the surface the way humans on Earth view Antarctica. Maybe it’s livable, but it requires so much extra effort that it isn’t worth it. Black Clouds may travel to the surface at night if they happen to hear of something they want, or of someone they’re after hiding out. The Chain forges symbiotic relationships with folks in power on the surface- having them supply rarities, run errands, keep watch, etc. In exchange for this the Chain supplies their contacts with black diamond and other valuables from the deep. The Fallen tend to be uninterested in the affairs of the surface. Interestingly, The Under was immune to The Black, since the parasites did not function properly in the absence of sunlight. Relzrureos, under the control of the queen parasite, was building an army of infected in the ground beneath the crater, near Under-Fellrock. The infected would become dormant after a day or so with no sunlight. When the Battle at Fellrock broke out, Relzrureos stomped the center of the crater, opening it and releasing his army by flooding sunlight onto them. Kezias and Lucina fought in this area to reduce the number of infected that escaped onto the surface. It seems that had the infection never been stopped, The Under would have remained relatively unaffected as the surface was destroyed. History Virtually nothing is currently known by the party of The Under's history. Factions Three factions now fight for control of the Under. Factions are hesitant to engage one another on a whim, but unaligned folk are left open to thievery, kidnapping, assault, or worse. Fighting between factions will assuredly result in repercussions, however, so they tend to be more calculated when they do occur. It’s a volatile system that makes up the vague “order” of the Under. The gith are above the factions. They are not concerned with the actions of other races. If any gith is crossed- even once- the perpetrator will be hunted and destroyed. The Black Clouds The Black Clouds pursue chaos above all else. They believe anyone should be free to do whatever he likes in the Under. If one is in need, one should take from those weaker than himself. Black Clouds get what they want by any means. Greed draws people to join them. Money means nothing to this faction, and they have been known to destroy it. Of the three factions, they are naturally the most likely to start a conflict. They have even been known to head to the surface on rare occasions. The Black Clouds are mostly made up of drow. They can easily be identified by the literal black cloud that lingers on them. This comes from spell stones in their possessions. The founder, but not-really-leader, of the Black Clouds is Belafein Torana. The Chain The Chain seek order via complete control. They offer protection to those who serve them. They answer to captains who ultimately answer to King Euron. Recruiting and protecting servants, and destroying Black Clouds moves one up in their ranks. Civilians must provide food, shelter, and services to the warriors of this faction, who are called Links. The Chain is mostly made up of gray dwarves. They are easily identified by the chains they don, either as necklaces, belts, simple ornaments, or even as weapons. The party currently knows nothing of King Euron. The Fallen The Fallen are much more reclusive and secretive than the other two factions. Their goal is unknown, but they certainly butt heads with both other factions. Their higher-ups are unknown to non-members. They hand-pick their new recruits, and applying isn’t an option. There is no prevalent race among the Fallen. They are easily identified by their black robes with silk, purple trim. Unlike the other two factions, they are not known to attack civilians or cause much trouble in general. The Void The Void is a terrifying chasm deeper even than the Under. It is said to be so quiet that you hear only your own organs working. It is so dark that you see not black, but nothing at all. Those who have braved the Void come back changed- prone to dissociation and long silences. They have trouble sleeping and sometimes forget things they’ve known their whole lives. Those who spend more than a single night in the Void will rarely come back out, even if help is offered. They retreat deeper into the nothing, and are never seen again. Remotely viewing the Void via magic causes similar detriment to the mind. The heart of Under-Bristol is a sheer drop into the Void. Under Towns Towns in the under are typically occupied by all three factions. Buildings may or may not be marked from outside. Merchants might sell to anyone, or only certain factions. Back alleys are best avoided, unless traveling with a group, exceptionally powerful, or important in one’s gang. Those from the surface stand out if they don’t conceal themselves. Black Clouds see them as easy targets. Links see them as intrusive. The Fallen seem to pay them no heed. Colored torches are used to indicate where tunnels lead or what certain buildings are for in under towns: red flames indicate that a tunnel leads to another town, white flames indicate that a tunnel leads to the surface, and blue flames indicates a merchant building. Known Entrances The party currently knows of six entrances to The Under. The first is within Mount Zema, in the Stone District in Bristol. This path has an in-between area that is occupied by around a dozen goons who are hiding from those they have wronged in The Under. The second entrance is on the reverse side of Mount Zema, towards Darvin, but it is currently caved in. The third entrance is within a cave system that lies beneath the Vellet Spire, just outside of the forest town of Ellery. The fourth entrance is in the forest near the town of Nordrake, and features a hot spring. The last two entrances are known to the party to some extent, but have not actually been seen. One is somewhere near Fellrock, and includes a tunnel which leads to a chasm currently filled with infected below where the meteor hit. The final is within the mines of Nordrake. Relationship with the Party The Heroes of Fellrock have only briefly visited The Under once. They were forced into it by Tydrom in order to sneak them out of Bristol, rather than imprisoning them. In Under-Bristol they had a few scuffles with Black Clouds, met Topher the merchant tiefling for the second time, witnessed a recruitment speech from Belafein, called upon one of Mars' contacts for help, saw someone who appeared to be very important to Enra, made friends with a magic shop merchant named Matrana, and finally met Kezias. He lead them to the surface via an exit near the town of Nordrake. The party remained in contact with Kezias, who is currently damned to reside in The Under for a reason that is not yet clear to the party. The party is virtually unknown in The Under, having made very little impression with their inaugural visit. Perhaps this is for the better. Overall they are disliked by the general public, as a result of their being from the surface and not being aligned to any of the three factions.